Stuffed Chachindra (Snake gourd)

Forget the zucchini boats or even the stuffed peppers ! This is a homegrown Odia dish that is as good as the imported ones. A rich stuffing of onions, freshly grated coconut and broken cashews lend this dish a sweet and rich taste. Some folks avoid adding potatoes to the stuffing but I just cant do without it.

And moreover this is one native dish that really looks beautiful without much effort on the presentation. I mean I have been working on my food photography skills to be able to click some decent photos of the food that I so painstakingly prepare. While I do not buy the logic of making food so good that one wants to take it home instead of eating it, I want my food to look presentable to a given degree. Sadly our dishes lacks the right amount of color but make up for it with the great taste.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 medium sized snake gourd (chachindra)
• 3 tsp oil
• a pinch of salt

For the stuffing -

• 2 medium sized potatoes (boiled, peeled and lightly mashed)
• 1 large onion 
• 1 cup grated coconut (chopped into medium pieces)
• 1 tsp grated ginger
• 1-2 green chilis (chopped into small pieces)
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 1/3 tsp red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp coriander powder
• 2 pinch garam masala
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 2 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Wash and peel the snake gourd. Chop into 3 inch long pieces. Hollow them out by removing the mushy insides.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add cumin seeds and chopped green chillis. Wait for them to start spluttering.

Follow with the grated ginger and fry for 1 minute. Add the chopped onions and fry till red on the edges.

Add all the powdered masalas and fry for 2 mins. Finally add the potatoes and stir fry for a couple of minutes till everything is nicely mixed.

Add the grated coconut just before removing from the flame. Keep aside it is just warm to touch.

Stuff this into the hollowed out snake gourd.

Heat a wok or skillet on a low flame. Add the remaining oil. Place the stuffed snake gourd pieces on the skillet and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cover with a lid. Remove the lid at regular intervals and turn them on their sides.

Let it cook on a low flame till completely done. Remove from the skillet .

Garnish with some more grated coconut and cilantro. Serve hot with white rice and dal . 

Sajana Phula Bhaja

Drumstick flowers or Moringa flowers are known as 'Sajana phula' in Odia. Not very long back, a drumstick tree was a mandatory part of every garden in Odisha. The other must plants were the banana plant, papaya and a fruit tree like mango and/or guava. But with rising land rates and shrinking plot sizes, the gardens are being dispensed with and most people no longer have access to such a delicacy. And sadly one does not find it being sold in the markets.

Residing in Blore, I could only dream of having access to it. So, when I made the annual trip to my native, it was on my must-eat list along with 'karadi' and the famous Rourkela 'Gupchup' . Though I sometimes have it in Bhubaneshwar, the Gupchup here is simply a class apart. Almost everyone swears by the vendor in their own locality or a nearby place. But there are some crazy folks who would not mind making a trip (in some cases a long one)  to Sec 15/ Ispat Market /Sec 20 for savoring the stuff sold by a particular vendor. Since I no longer have the inclination to follow in their footsteps, I am happy to sample the stuff dished out by the nearest vendor.

Coming back to the recipe, it is a frugal one made with the simplest of ingredients. Read on -

Preparation Time - 10-15 mins (most of it is used for cleaning the flowers)

Ingredients -

• 2 cups drumstick flowers
• 1 green chili
• 2 pinch pancha phutana
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Pluck the drumstick flowers from the bunch. Throw away the dried and shriveled ones. Wash and clean them.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok. Add the broken green chili and pancha phutana. Once it stops spluttering, add the crushed garlic flakes along with the cleaned flowers.

Stir fry for 3 mins. Add the salt and mix in. Remove from the flame.

Serve as a side dish with rice/rotis and dal.

Note - The very tender drumsticks can also be fried along with the flowers. 

Posto Patua

Posto or poppy seeds is very commonly consumed in the western regions of Odisha. Infact, it is used as a substitute for mustard seeds in quite a few curries. Its cooling properties make it an ideal addition to the summer diet. This is a very simple recipe that goes great with hot rice as well as 'Pakhala', the famous watery rice dish from Odisha.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 12-15 mins

Ingredients -

• 5-6 tbsp poppy seeds (posto)
• 1 small onion, chopped into medium pieces
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 green chillis
• 1 tsp coriander stems (use whites only)
• 2 pinches of pancha phutana
• 1 dry red chilli
• 2 pinch turmeric
• 3 tsp oil
• salt to taste

Preparation - Dry grind the poppy seeds to a coarse powder in the chutney jar of a grinder. Add a little salt, garlic cloves, green chillis and coriander stems along with a little water to the same jar. Buzz for a few seconds. ( If it is too dry to be ground, add water little by little)

Heat the oil in a wok. Add broken red chillis along with pancha phutana.

Once spluttering starts, add onions. Fry till translucent.

Add the poppy seeds paste along with 1/4 cup water, turmeric and a bit of salt (if required).

Cook till constant stirring till most of the water dries up and the poppy seeds paste does not taste raw anymore. Remove from flame.

Serve hot with white rice and toor dal.